There Is No Terrorism Financing Allegation Against Ex-AGF Malami — Olukoyede

The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ola Olukoyede, has dismissed claims that immediate-past Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), was charged or investigated for terrorism financing, describing the allegation as false and unfounded.

Speaking on ‘Sunday Politics’ on Channels Television on Sunday night, Olukoyede said the EFCC never linked Malami to terrorism financing, stressing that the charges filed against him at the Federal High Court were strictly related to money laundering.

“There was never a time that the EFCC said he was being investigated or tried for terrorism financing. That allegation never came from us,” Olukoyede said.

He explained that reports suggesting terrorism financing were products of speculation and third-party narratives, not official EFCC communication.

“If that appeared anywhere in the media, maybe from third parties, not us. Definitely not us,” he added.

Addressing allegations that the prosecution of Malami was a witch-hunt or politically motivated, the EFCC chairman rejected the claim, insisting that the investigation was conducted professionally and without personal bias.

“There is nothing personal in this matter. If Nigeria must move forward, this fight must be carried out without being partisan,” he said.

Olukoyede also clarified issues surrounding the Justice Ayo Salami-led panel report, which was set up by the Federal Government in 2020 to investigate alleged improprieties within the EFCC.

He said the panel was primarily constituted to investigate the activities of a former acting chairman of the Commission, Ibrahim Magu, and not him.

“All Nigerians knew that it was the former acting chairman that was the subject of that investigation,” he stated.

He explained that Malami, as Attorney General at the time, played a key role in overseeing the panel and had custody of its report after it concluded its assignment in early 2021.

According to Olukoyede, he appeared before the panel only in his official capacity as Secretary of the EFCC, alongside other directors and management staff, and was neither indicted nor found culpable.

“The investigation report cleared me. The same Presidency that set up the panel gave me a letter of clearance,” he said.

Olukoyede further disclosed that the investigation into Malami predated his appointment as EFCC chairman, noting that the case file was opened after the exit of the Buhari administration and had been under investigation for over two years before charges were filed.

“I will not be rushed into taking any case to court if I am not convinced that the evidence is watertight,” he said.

He assured Nigerians that all cases prosecuted by the EFCC under his leadership were backed by solid evidence and open to public scrutiny.

“Any case we take to court under my tenure must be watertight. Nigerians can go to court and verify the proof of evidence,” Olukoyede stated.